REVEALING your innermost secrets or making an utter fool of yourself by imitating a chicken is what we are often led to believe happens when you go under hypnosis, writes Emily Bridgewater.

So, when I was invited to check out Bromsgrove's new hypnotherapy clinic, I have to say I was more than a little apprehensive.

Ignorance had me think I would be invited into the living room of a creepy old woman. It would probably be incredibly dusty, with piles of moth-eaten books lying about the place. And there would certainly be a cat, or three.

I would be told to drape myself on a well-worn chaise-long and relax. An antique watch would be dangled in front of my eyes and before I knew it, I would be confessing the colour of my undergarments!

However, when I dropped into the STOP clinic in Kidderminster Road, I realised my preconceptions could not be further from the truth.

STOP is the new hypnotherapy centre, which was launched by Nicky Gillard and Jennie Kitching at the beginning of January.

Their aim is to lift the lid on hypnotherapy and other mind controlling techniques, and show they can be used safely as tools to help people achieve the unachievable.

Whether you dream of losing weight, packing up smoking or establishing a better relationship with your children, Nicky and Jennie can help.

They each have a wealth of experience working individually as training consultants for a number of large firms. In their former jobs they would be drafted in to help employers retrain their often-difficult employees.

However, when the two of them met during an eight-month stint in Walsall, they soon realised they had a shared desire to set up a hypnotherapy centre.

Having achieved the necessary qualifications from the General Hypnotherapy Standards Council, Nicky and Jennie were ready to roll.

The lively pair have spent about a month renovating an attractive period house, next to St John's Surgery, into a series of light and airy therapy rooms.

So far, they have mainly worked with people wanting to lose excess weight or stop smoking.

Nicky laughed: "This can probably be expected at this time of year, with people making their New Year's resolutions.

"However, we offer help with many other issues, including managing stress, curing impotence and dealing with pain."

Along with working with individuals, they are also launching a programme of seminars, which address a host of issues from past life regression to how to become a better flirt.

All seminars will take place at the Perry Hall Ramada Jarvis Hotel in Kidderminster Road with the first starting this Saturday.

"This is the 'lighten up' seminar, which can help people find a permanent solution to their issues with weight," said Jennie.

And Nicky and Jennie certainly practise what they preach. "You would never have found a more hardened smoker than me," said Nicky, who lives in Bromsgrove.

"I needed a few sessions of hypnotherapy but I got there in the end!"

Hypnotherapy has also helped Nicky lose more than a stone in weight and establish a better attitude to food. And it has cured Jennie's lifelong fear of spiders.

"We want to show people that if they really want to change something in their life they can. It is about retraining the subconscious mind to communicate a different message with the conscious mind," added Jennie.

For further details on STOP call 01527 574641.